


The Perfect Confession

by thethirdphiladelphiavireo



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Fluff, Holidays, Human!Catra, i know it's only december 2, let me live
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-05 14:55:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16812925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thethirdphiladelphiavireo/pseuds/thethirdphiladelphiavireo
Summary: Adora likes to consider herself meticulous in every aspect of her life. Of course, when she decides to confess her feelings for her best friend, things get a bit messy.





	The Perfect Confession

If there was one thing that was absolutely, completely, utterly true, it was that Adora was a planner. She would pace in her room late at night, examining and re-examining every aspect of whatever challenges she’d be facing the next day. She had been the de facto leader of every group project she’d ever been assigned, and she always got them an A. Her attention to detail was categorical to the point that she was the type of person to actually read all the terms and conditions. She owned not one, but two whiteboards in her room she could and would use to illustrate her points or make a Venn diagram or plan essays.

So, naturally, when she finally resolved to ask Catra out, needless to say she was… thorough in her preparations.   
  


Catra, Adora’s best friend since kindergarten, was Adora’s exact opposite. She was incredibly intelligent, without a doubt. But her smarts didn’t translate into work ethic. In class, she was always either sleeping or doing homework due the next period. Whenever she and Adora were together for a project, other group members would often complain about her ‘free-loading’. 

In fact, throughout their lives, when people learned Catra and Adora were best friends, they would be shocked. 

Adora will grow out of it, they all thought. One day she’ll realize Catra is dragging her down and she’ll start hanging with a better crowd.

That day never came. Twelve years later and they were still inseparable. 

See, Adora didn’t believe Catra was holding her back. If anything, Catra grounded her. She kept Adora smiling, laughing, and on her toes. She was familiar enough with Adora to know when to force her to take a break, even if Adora protested. They were two opposites who balanced each other out; Adora made sure Catra at least did some of her schoolwork, and Catra made sure Adora didn’t get too lost in her head and her sea of many, many, responsibilities. 

Given the two shared such a deep friendship that had been forged at the near-beginning of their lives, it was unsurprising that Catra had been Adora’s first real crush. 

To be honest with herself, Adora figured she’d probably had some kind of feelings for Catra long before she consciously realized it. But the moment she’d always remember as an epiphany of sorts was Catra’s fourteenth birthday. 

Fourteen was a difficult time in anyone’s life. Catra didn’t exactly make things any easier for herself. She largely shunned the company of other kids her age, preferring to hang off the sleeves of some upperclassmen she’d met. Those were the first people she’d ever called friends, with the exception of Adora.

So when the date was set for Catra’s sleepover get-together, she meticulously crafted hand-written invitations for each of them. (Adora’s was special though- hers came with a small cartoon drawing of the two friends and had a heart sticker on the envelope, in a rare display of unmasked affection.)

In the end, all of those upperclassmen “couldn’t make it”. So that year, like nearly every other year before, it was just Adora and Catra, curled up on Catra’s old couch. They were watching cheesy horror flicks Catra had chosen to try to look tough. Maybe it was for the best those older kids hadn’t come to witness her tightly winding her arms around Adora’s shoulders, whimpering at every sound coming from the TV. For all of her bravado, Catra could be quite the scaredy-cat. 

Meanwhile, Adora was just struggling to stay awake. For some reason, movies nearly always put her to sleep, and being swaddled in the warm embrace of several blankets plus her friend’s body heat didn’t help.

“I guess this isn’t super exciting for you,” Catra joked at Adora’s lack of a reaction to one particularly bad jumpscare. “I mean, you had way more people at your birthday party.”

That was true. Adora, despite hanging out with Catra, who most considered the black sheep of the grade, was one of those people who managed to be popular just by being so infectiously nice. She was a genuinely kind, charming girl. So her party, while low-key, had had most of her large network of acquaintances in attendance. Not that she was really close with any of them. But she didn’t need to be. As odd of a pair as they were, it was her and Catra against the world, and it always would be.

Adora snuck a look at her Catra’s face. She was teasing her, yes, but Adora had known her long enough to pick up on the slight waver of actual hurt in her voice, the way her words went slightly high-pitched at the end. 

“I mean, it was kinda crowded,” Adora said, slinging an arm over the sofa back. “But I was really just excited that one really important guest was there.”

“C’mon, don’t get mushy on m-”

“Of course, I mean the pizza.”

Catra blinked, then threw her head back in laughter at Adora’s unexpected joke. It wasn’t the fake, derisive laugh most people were used to hearing. No, this was real, and it was reserved only for Adora.

Adora smiled at how her best friend’s face lit up, watching her eyes crinkle in amusement and the way her wild brown hair bounced on her shaking shoulders. An unfamiliar feeling of uncontrollable delight pooled in her stomach, quivering and giddy and ready to burst out at any moment. 

Woah. Hold on a second. 

That had been the moment of realization. Since then, no matter how hard Adora tried, she just couldn’t put her best friend out of her mind. Or, to be more specific, she couldn’t stop thinking about Catra in a very non-best-friend way. The guilt had been eating away at her for the entirety of her high school experience. It always went the same. Adora would swear to herself that she wouldn’t get swept up in cataloguing the differences between Catra’s equally stunning eyes, wouldn’t spend an inordinate amount of time daydreaming in her classes about what it would be like to comb those untamed locks at the end of a long day, or what kind of a kiss Catra would give her as they danced in the kitchen of their fantasy apartment at two in the morning. The she would fail. Miserably. Rinse and repeat. 

Finally, in their senior year, Adora could come to only one conclusion: these feeling weren’t going away any time soon. She had one option and one option only. She had to confess. Either she’d finally be able to indulge these secret wishes or she’d have the last vestige of hope in her heart that Catra could feel the same way ground into dust, never to rise again. In any case, it was time she came clean about how she felt about her best friend.

Of course, saying and doing were two very different things. There were so many wild variables to consider. What would Catra want in a confession? If she reacted badly, what would be Adora’s exit strategy? Should she factor armour into her plan’s budget, just in case things went super downhill?

After managing to put off her plans for half the school year, Adora decided she needed a second opinion. 

One chilly December afternoon, she she was determined to find exactly that.

“Hey,” Catra leaned up against her locker. “Come over to mine after school?”

Adora scratched the back of her neck. “Actually, I need to talk to Glimmer about something. Rain check?”

Catra frowned. “Glimmer? What do you need to see her for?”

“Oh, y’know… Nerd stuff.”

Catra raised an eyebrow at Adora’s evasion but ultimately dropped it. “See you tomorrow,” she called over her shoulder as she sauntered off. Adora breathed a sigh of relief, eyes lingering on Catra’s retreating figure until she rounded a corner and was gone.

A few minutes later she found Glimmer packing up her bag, almost ready to leave.

“Hey,” she greeted the other girl, chewing on her lip. “Do you have time to chat? Maybe grab a coffee close to here?”

That’s how Adora ended up spilling her deepest secret to Glimmer in a cheap cafe at three in the afternoon.

After having Adora tell her entire story, Glimmer sat back, rubbing her temples. “Why are you asking me for help? Not like I’m Catra’s number one fan, no offense. You know her better than me anyways.”

“Listen, I know you two have had your...issues… but you know what she’s like at least. And I could really use some advice. Even if it wasn’t Catra I wanted to ask out, what would you tell me to do?”

Glimmer tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Well, you two have known each other for a really long time. I think you should go with a big gesture, considering how much you care about her.”   
  
“Yeah?”   
  
“Mhm. Especially since we’re closer to the holidays.”

Adora leaned back in her chair. Time for some brainstorming. “Can we talk again some time? I want to come up with some ideas and then run them by you, if that’s okay.”

Glimmer shrugged. “Why not? How about Friday after school?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

That evening, Adora pulled out her two whiteboards. “Optimal Courtship Strategies”, she headed one of them, bracing herself for a long night.

Friday afternoon she and Glimmer were back in the cafe, looking over a neatly printed list of Adora’s best ideas.

“Really? This was the best you could come up with?”

“What? I like all these ideas!”

“Adora, sweetie,” Glimmer pinched the bridge of her nose. “As talented as you are, learning to sing and play the piano, becoming a worldwide sensation, writing a song about Catra, then confessing your love on live television while she looks on from the audience seems like a tall order.”

“You said a big gesture would be good!”

“I can’t believe I have to say this,” muttered Glitter, rubbing her face with her hand. “But how about we think ‘small’ for now?”

Adora sighed, defeated. “I guess that idea was a bit of a logistical challenge.”

“Let’s go with that.” 

An hour later, the two of them finally came up with a plan: Adora would invite Catra over for a little one-on-one holiday magic, cozy up with some hot chocolate and old classics, then lead her out to the backyard where Adora would have spelled out in Christmas lights the words, “Date me?”

“What kind of lights do you think I should use?” Adora asked, twirling a pen in her hand. “I don’t think we have any at home that would work. Maybe I should spice it up with some garland too or something?”

Glimmer groaned. “Listen, Adora, I am more than willing to help you, but can we please just go shopping together or something tomorrow? My brain hurts.”

Tomorrow. Saturday. Adora had plans with Catra already Saturday. But canceling on her this once won’t hurt, she reasoned. Especially since I’m trying to do something nice for her.

“Sure, let’s do it.”

Later she texted Catra.

_ Can’t make it tomorrow :( _

She only had to wait about a minute for a reply.

**bummer. whats up**

_ Shopping with Glimmer _

Adora wasn’t used to having to lie to her best friend. Or at least, not lying about things other than pretending to not have any romantic interest in Catra. Her fingers automatically typed out the response and sent it off, her mind only catching up a few moments later to tell her that maybe she should’ve lied to seem less suspicious.

**? what for**

_ GSA stuff. Planning on maybe throwing a kind of party for the holidays. _

That sounded believable, right? Adora anxiously waited for a reply.

**Cool.**

Oh God. Capitalization and punctuation. Catra definitely thought something was up. At least it’ll all be over with soon, she thought. 

_ Can we hang out Sunday instead? Watch some movies? _

**Sure.**

The shopping trip was a success. Glimmer patted her on the arm when it was finally over. “Good luck, Adora. Catra and I may not get each other, but even I can see she really cares about you. No matter how it goes, that won’t change. Got it?”

Adora nodded and gave the other girl a hug in gratitude. “Thanks for putting up with me.”   
  


“Any time.”

Adora spent the next morning setting up her lights, readying for Catra’s arrival. From the second she woke up to the second she heard the doorbell ring her nerves were gnawing at her constantly, always in the very back of her mind, even when she tried to focus on the task at hand. 

When Catra finally arrived, Adora realized she might have bigger problems on her hands than just her confession. 

“Hey,” Catra had greeted her, eyes cast at the ground. And with that one word Adora knew something was wrong. Catra hadn’t acted so reserved around her within her memory, at least, not unless they were fighting. But they weren’t right now… right? Was she that upset Adora had cancelled on her yesterday?

Adora kept hoping that something would happen to relieve the tension and get Catra back to normal, but instead they ended up sitting on her couch as far away from each other as possible, each preferring to drink their hot chocolate in silence rather than initiate conversation, Adora fearing saying the wrong thing. She flicked on the TV, setting some old special to play, looking at the clock out of the corner of her eye. Catra came over at exactly three, and she needed to wait until the sun went down to have the full effect of the Christmas lights. It was going to be a long few hours. 

Most of movie time was spent in the same way as it had begun, quiet and tense. It was about an hour until sunset when Catra finally seemed to soften and scooched over on the couch, resting her head on Adora’s shoulder. Maybe it was the holiday sappiness getting to her. Adora surreptitiously exhaled in relief. A point in her favor.

Through the gentle weight of Catra leaning on her, combined with the soothingly bland visuals of whatever movie they were watching and the rich scent of cocoa swimming in the air, Adora found herself drowsing off. The reasonable side of her brain put on its pajamas and flopped into bed before she could know it. She only had an hour before she could show Catra the surprise, she really should’ve stayed awake. But her logic wasn’t taking questions at the moment. 

The last thing Adora remembered before finally falling asleep was the sight of gentle snow falling through the window. 

By the time she woke up again, it was completely dark. The TV was turned off and Catra was curled up next to her, softly snoring. Crap. Well, it was later than she’d expected, and she’d have to wake Catra, but her plan was still on track. 

Carefully, Adora disentangled herself from Catra, going out to check if everything was working. 

That was when she figured out she had a problem on her hands.

When she walked out onto the porch to turn on the lights, she looked at the ground below and saw that it was completely blanketed with snow, covering every inch of the carefully arranged lights. In fact, it was still snowing, with shadowy flakes swirling all around her. 

Adora heaved a great sigh. With all of the minute details she’d worried over, she’d failed to plan for this basic contingency. She fiddled with the lights’ plastic switch contemplatively, staring off into the frozen night. 

She was snapped out of her reverie by the sound of the door opening and shutting behind her. She turned and it was Catra, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and padding outside to join her. She leaned on the porch fence, also looking down at the snow below. “What are you doing up so late, Adora?”

Adora shrugged, turning back to the face the scenery, “I don’t know. Couldn’t sleep I guess. Plus it’s pretty out here.”

Catra hummed. “Yeah. Didn’t realize it was snowing.”

It was cold out, no doubt about it. Especially for two girls basically wearing pajamas. But for some reason, neither wanted to go in. Both were captivated. 

Adora twirled the lightswitch in her hand subconsciously. Catra frowned and plucked it from her hands with the easy familiarity of a twelve year friendship. Adora instinctively let it go without complaint. 

“What’s this?” Catra asked, examining the smooth plastic. 

“Just put up some lights today,” Adora lied, the words rolling easier off her tongue than she was comfortable with. “Last minute decorating and all that.”

Catra nodded and turned the switch over in her hand.

Meanwhile, Adora shivered and finally decided she’d had enough of the cold. She had just taken a step towards the door when she heard a gasp from Catra. She looked back to see what was wrong. Oh. Looked like even under a thick layer of snow, the message was still readable.

Catra had turned on the lights, and though the snow somewhat dimmed and blurred their effect, Adora’s big “Date me?” shone through clear as day. She froze and looked at Catra, carefully awaiting her response. 

“Ah.”

‘Ah’? What did that mean? 

“I see you finally asked Glimmer out.”

Wait… what?

“Huh?”

“I mean, it’s gotten kind of obvious you have a thing for her.” Catra examined her nails nonchalantly.

“I-I-”

“-I’m happy for you,” Catra cut her off. “Finally getting up the courage to do that. I could never find the courage to, well…” She was rushing her words ever so slightly, voice going higher and higher.

Adora’s head was whirling. Catra had totally misinterpreted the situation. And despite the words that were coming out of Catra’s mouth, Adora was still her best friend, and she could still tell when she was upset, not matter how she tried to hide it. 

“You’ve got it all wrong,” she cut in. “I didn’t ask Glimmer out.”

Catra raised an eyebrow. “Then what the hell is this doing in your backyard? Is Santa trying to hit you up?” She laughed at her own joke, but it wasn’t the unabashed, genuine laugh Adora loved. It was the artificial laugh she so often used with others, but never her.

Adora hesitated at the question. The truth was there, dancing right on the tip of her tongue, just waiting to be set free. She was done lying to her best friend. Not only about the little things, like the nonexistent GSA party, but she was done lying about her feelings. 

“It was supposed to be for you.”

Catra’s laugh abruptly died out.”What?”

“I invited you over cause I had a plan to ask you out. Well, you can see how that went. Glimmer’s been helping me get it ready.” Adora stared off into the distance, not wanting to risk looking at Catra’s face. She clenched her jaw. So far, her friend was silent. “I mean, I knew from the beginning you probably didn’t like me like that. But I had to do something or I was gonna go crazy. I don’t expect our friendship to change or anything, but I really needed to get that off my- mph!” 

Adora was cut off by Catra surging forward, clashing their lips together like they were at war. It hurt at first, a collision of teeth and elbows and searching hands, but finally Catra tilted her head at just the right angle to make the pressure pleasant instead of painful, and her hands made their way to Adora’s hips while Adora’s buried themselves in Catra’s hair, each trying to pull the other impossibly closer. Neither had much experience with kissing but they quickly fell into a dizzying, intense rhythm, as if both were terrified of letting the moment end. 

Eventually the two had to break apart for air. Panting, Catra continued to place kisses all over Adora’s face, pressing her lips to her forehead, her cheek, softly mouthing at the curve of her jaw. 

“Do you have any idea,” she whispered between kisses, “How jealous I was when you were spending time with Glimmer and wouldn’t tell me the real reason why?” She ran her long nails over Adora’s back, sending shivers up her spine. 

Adora captured Catra in another soft kiss, trying convey how sorry she was in it. “I should’ve come clean with you a long time ago,” she murmured against warm lips. “I just wanted my confession to be perfect.”

“Adora,” one of Catra’s hands came up to cup at her jaw. The two locked half-lidded gazes, leaning their foreheads together. “It is perfect. And no matter what, it would’ve been perfect. Because it’s you.”

Adora linked her hands around Catra’s neck and pulled her into a tight embrace, flush against each other. Tears of joy stung at her eyes. Finally, her secret was revealed. No more lying. No more guilt. Just Catra. She buried her face in the other girl’s neck, nuzzling the cold skin she found there. 

  
The two went back inside not long after that, shivering and numb. But they warmed up in Adora’s kitchen, slow dancing to Christmas classics while making more hot chocolate. And when Catra tenderly placed a kiss to her lips after gracefully dipping her, the four years of heartache were all worth it.   


**Author's Note:**

> Honestly holidays are just an endless source of fluff. Long Live December!


End file.
